Wests Tigers submit response to NRL breach notice

The Wests Tigers have submitted their response to the breach notices issued by the NRL last month as they look to downgrade the severity of the punishment they face.

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg stunned the Tigers before Christmas when he hit the club with a pending $750,000 fine – and a salary cap reduction of $639,000 in 2019 – for not declaring a post-career arrangement with Robbie Farah when he left the club in 2016.

As a result, chief executive Justin Pascoe was also deregistered.

The club was given until the end of January to submit its response, however in a bid to fast-track a decision and remove the cloud over the club's head, both the Tigers and Pascoe submitted their respective paperwork to the NRL on Tuesday.

It's understood the Tigers are accepting responsibility for mismanagement but believe the punishment is heavy-handed given they believe they gained no competitive advantage from a deal that Farah is yet to collect a dollar for, or even decide to take up.

It's understood Pascoe has decided to link with Brydens Lawyers principal Lee Hagipantelis, who also happens to sponsor the Tigers and several other rugby league teams, to represent him.

In December, Tigers chair Marina Go released the following statement: "We do not accept the allegations outlined in the breach notice.

"We reject that the club has breached the NRL rules or that our conduct warrants the sanctions proposed. The breach notice relates to events that occurred some time ago, in relation to an ambassador role for Robbie post-retirement.

"The arrangement was entered into years after his playing contract had been signed and had nothing to do with Robbie's playing commitments. The club derived no competitive advantage from the arrangement."